Troell stays in control for Vikings

She may not score the most points or pull down the most rebounds, but Hallie Troell knows her position on the Fort Walton Beach Lady Vikings basketball team.

"She plays within herself," said Fort Walton Beach Coach Holly McDaniel. "As a senior, she knows what she is supposed to do. She is always calm, under control and poised.

"She's that kid that's even keeled … doesn't show much emotion," McDaniel added.

Troell, as the only Destinite on the team, helped lead the Vikings to a second-place finish in the recent Destin Holiday Classic held at the Destin Community Center.

Troell, who is a shooting guard, has played for the Vikings all four years of high school and had her best game early on as a freshman making five 3-pointers against South Walton.

But shooting the 3 is what she does.

"That's what I like to do," Troell said, noting the long ball is her shot. However, it doesn't fall without a lot of work. The 18-year-old daughter of Richard and Lisa Troell of Destin says she practices about 10 hours a week.

"And I can tell when it leaves my hand if it's going to be a good one," Troell said.

Playing since she was about 5 and going through the ranks at Destin Middle School, Troell loves being a Viking.

"We're all really close and get along well," she said. "But I like the sport in general. I've played it all my life."

Now whether she continues to play after high school or not is up in the air.

"Mainly I want to get an education," she said. Troell has plans to go to the University of Texas at San Antonio to study to be an orthodontist.

But for now, she is happy to be a Viking.

Up next for Fort Walton Beach is a 6:30 p.m. game on Thursday against Navarre.

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